Unit #1: Reconstruction/Constitution (1607-1877) Essential Question: What does it mean to be an American? How has the Constitution the definition into what it is today? Length: 3 weeks Grade: 11th grade Honors US History II Student Population: 25 MA Framework: USII.1 – USII.4 Major Topics: Draft of the Constitution (1776); Civil War (1861-1865); Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863-Dec. 18, 1865); Lincoln Administration; Slavery (1607-1865); Reconstruction (1863-1877)
Relevancy: Jubilee offers an in-depth look at the one-drop rule’s impact on race relations before and after the Civil War. The one-drop rule basically states that any individual with any Black within them is considered Black.
Key Terms: Slavery, bi-racial slaves, race relations, south (Georgia and Alabama), southern slavery during Civil War, family units during slavery, reconstruction
Skills: Reading and possibly writing (if a writing piece is administered), critical thinking for class discussion
Intended Use: I plan to use this resource during the section on slavery in helping students better understand some of the social interactions (between slave and slave master) occurring during slavery that they may be unfamiliar with.
Who May Benefit: Students who are curious about the subject and those interested in learning a distant aspect of the time period will benefit in that they will better understand the social interaction between whites and Blacks.
2) When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (149 pages)
Yetman, Norman R., ed. When I Was a Slave : Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection. Minneapolis: Dover Publications, Incorporated, 2003.
Relevancy: This text allows students to read first hand the experiences of slaves in America. The narratives are detailed and accounts for slaves from the North (i.e. Baltimore) and various states in the South. Great primary source resource for activities involving the study of slavery.
Key Terms: slavery, servitude, injustice, etc.
Skills: Intended Use: I plan to use this resource for the lesson pertaining to the study of slavery. It will serve as the ‘text’ station within the day’s activity.
Who May Benefit: Students and teachers interested in learning more about the day-to-day lives of slaves will enjoy reading their book. Teachers interested in expanding their content knowledge of the subject will received a better understanding of the time period and the practice after reading this source.
3) The Social Fabric: American Life from 1607-1877
Hartshorne, Thomas L., Robert A. Wheeler, and John H. Cary. The Social Fabric. New York: Longman, 2002.
Relevancy: A select few of the primary resources included in this text will allow students to study the difference between lifestyles and living conditions in the North vs. the South during the Reconstruction period.
Key Topics: Social justice, race relations, civil rights
Skills: Reading, writing, note-taking skills (if necessary), and critical thinking
Intended Use: I plan to use this source during the lesson on Reconstruction’s outcomes. This lesson will focus on the aftermath of the implication of the Reconstruction plans.
Who May Benefit: Teachers and students who enjoy primary resources will enjoy this source. A teacher interested in reading more first-hand accounts will also gain knowledge from this text.
4) 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South
Reed, John S., and Dale V. Reed. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know/South. New York: Main Street Books, 1997.
Relevancy: Sections of this text will give students a better understanding of term and stereotypes that define much of the South, its traditions, and norms.
Key Topics: People, places, terms, practices, musical artists, actors/actresses, athletes, etc. (all from the south)
Skills: Critical thinking, reading, note-taking, transferring gained knowledge to conversation
Intended Use: I plan to use this source during the discussion on Reconstruction and the differences between the North and South before, during, and after the Civil War
Who May Benefit: Students and teachers unfamiliar with cultural and social norms of the South (outside of stereotypes and ways in which the media has presented the South) will find this text to be of particular interest.
5) History of the United States
Jenkins, Philip. History of the United States. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Relevancy: This book offers an in-depth look at particular moments within out country’s past. Written in a form similar to that of novels, it allows readers to learn the same content through textbooks but in a novel format. It covers American history content from 1492 to present but more specifically1865-1996 for this unit.
Key Topics: Civil War, Reconstruction, Conquest of the Far West, Industrialism, Urbanization, Crisis’ of the 1890s, Imperialism, Progressivism, WWI, Great Depression, New Deal, Global Crisis, WWII, Cold War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Age of Globalization
Intended Use: I actually plan to use this source as a personal way to increase my content knowledge of the content that I will teach in class. I also plan to assign readings from the text for the students to utilize during Think-Pair-Share activities.
Who May Benefit: Teachers! American History teachers who are interested in expanding their content knowledge will most likely find this text helpful.
6) A People’s History of the United States.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States : 1492-Present. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
Relevancy: Text covers much of the events occurring in America’s past from Columbus to the Clinton administration. It allows student and teachers to examine a more humanistic view of the American government, its leaders and their relationships with minority groups and others countries/foreign leaders. A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers.
Key Topics: “The Other Civil War”, Vietnam, Socialist Change, Clinton administration
Intended Use: I actually plan to use this source as a personal way to increase my content knowledge of the content that I will teach in class. I also plan to assign readings from the text for the students to utilize during Think-Pair-Share activities.
Who May Benefit: Teachers and students who enjoy primary resources will enjoy this source. A teacher interested in reading more first-hand accounts will also gain knowledge from this text.
Relevancy: This site allows students to review certain aspects of history through a more social conscious lens. It also allows students to link choices that America made to the morals they are taught in their day-to-day lives.
Key Topics: Social justice, race relations, civil rights
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: I actually plan to use this source as a personal way to increase my content knowledge of the content that I will teach in class.
Who May Benefit: Teachers! American History teachers who are interested in expanding their content knowledge will most likely find this text helpful. World History teachers who will be teaching about WWI and WWII may also find reading Brinkley’s sections on the War’s helpful.
Relevancy: This section of the History Alive! collection offers teachers the opportunity to cover much of the content focused on the Civil War and Reconstruction period while also offering activities and worksheets for class instruction.
Key Terms: Civil War, Reconstruction,
Skills: reading, writing, critical thinking, adding to classroom discussion
Intended Use: I plan to use this resource pretty much throughout the entire first unit.
Who May Benefit: All students will most likely benefit considering most of them may not have retained or gained any knowledge of the Civil War or Reconstruction period. As a teacher, this resource can also help further content knowledge of the two areas.
Films
9) Amistad (152 minutes)
Amistad. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Djimon Hounsou and Matthew McConaughey. DVD. 1997.
Relevancy: The film is a great exemplar of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Many resources depicting slavery in America fail to portray the conditions of the slave trade and the fact the Caribbean played a major role in the trade.
Skills: Critical thinking, reading/writing for the worksheet activities that may accompany the viewing of the film
Intended Use: I plan to show a clip of the film during the lesson on slavery, specially the clip portraying the trip across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and then the Americas.
Who May Benefit: Students who are unaware of the details of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade will benefit from a more practical look at the trade in progress. Students who are simply interested in learning more about the topic or those who are into the topic already will benefit from the information.
10) Gettysburg (254 minutes)
Gettysburg. Dir. Ronald Maxwell. Perf. Martin Sheen and Tom Berenger. DVD. 1993.
Relevancy: Gettysburg is a film portraying one of the most well known battles of the Civil War.
Key Topics: Civil War, internal disputes, internal warfare, etc.
Skills: Critical thinking, reading/writing for in-class activity
Intended Use: I plan to show a clip from the film during the lecture on the Civil War in allowing the students to see that the North and the South both has strong points within the war and that neither side continuously had a much bigger advantage.
Who May Benefit: Students interested in war or those unaware of this factor will benefit from the intriguing or new information.
11) Glory (122 minutes)
Glory. Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick. DVD. 1989.
Relevancy: Glory is a helpful and educational exemplar of the race related controversies that existed around African-Americans serving on behalf of the North during the Civil War. It introduced the Emancipation Proclamation is overall a good resource for any unit referring to the Civil War. IT also allows Massachusetts students to see that someone significant has occurred near their hometown.
Key Topics: Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, race relations
Skills: Critical thinking, reading/writing
Intended Use: I plan to show clips of Glory while lecturing on the Civil War and the situations that occurring during it
Who May Benefit: Interested students along with those are uncomfortable but know that the film will be comfortable.
Websites
12) The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
Relevancy: A virtual representation of the constitution allows students to better interpret the constitution given the difficult jargon that appears within it. Definitions and explanations included help students comprehend the constitution on a different level and also helps them imply whether or not the proponents of the constitutions have been practiced correctly over time.
Key Terms/Content: Constitution (preamble, articles, and amendments), Rights and Responsibilities
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: I plan to use this site when teaching about the Constitution, Articles, or amendments – hopefully within the first two weeks of class. This will allow the students to have an option way in which to view the constitution rather than simply reading it on a sheet of paper.
Who May Benefit: History or Government/Civic students can benefit. Educators interested in learning more about the founding documents may also benefit from the site.
Relevancy: This site gives students an actual example of who Lincoln was (or at least who he says he is) in his work. Because many students receive information about Lincoln only through the mouths of their teachers, this site will allow them to see where he stood on certain issues in more depth.
Key Topics: Presidential Debates, Elections, Elected Officials, etc.
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: This site will be used during the lessons on the Civil War. At this point, I plan to have a mini lesson on Lincoln, his political and social ideologies, and the ways in which he reacted to certain situations.
Who May Benefit: History and Government/Civics teachers, student who enjoy reading, and students that enjoy the use of primary resources.
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: I plan to utilize this site when discussing the abolitionists and influential African-Americans of the Civil War Reconstruction time period (i.e. Frederick Douglass).
Who May Benefit: Teachers and students looking to increase their content knowledge about African Americans prior to Black History Month (lol) will find this website to be of a particular interest.
Relevancy: Valuable to lessons pertaining to Reconstruction, its implications and outcomes.
Key Topics: Birth of a Nation, Perspectives of Emancipation, Sharecropping, Politics of Reconstruction, Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction, Impeachment of Andrew Jackson, Carpetbaggers/Scalawags, End of Reconstruction, Presidential Election of 1876
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: I plan to utilize this site in preparing for the lesson(s) covering Reconstruction. This site also provides content knowledge for much of US History content.
Who May Benefit: Students and teachers interested in learning more about the era and receiving various perspectives pertaining to the myths surrounding the cause of the Civil War and the perceived successes and failures of the Reconstruction period
16) Slave Reparations Info
Ogletree, Charles. Slave Reparations. Grand Rapids: Fulcrum, 2007.
Henry, Charles P. Long Overdue : The Politics of Racial Reparations. New York: New York UP, 2007.
Brophy, Alfred L. Reparations : Pro and Con. New York: Oxford UP, Incorporated, 2006.
Relevancy: This information is very helpful in preparing the students and I for the slave reparations debate activity that is scheduled to take place on February 3. It also allows them to view the pros and cons of reparation along with viewing the current issue facing the debate of reparations.
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: Prior to conducting the slave reparations debate, I plan to utilize this site to enhance my content knowledge of the topic in order better mediate any conflicts that may occur between students when giving their opinions. I observed that this can be an issue if the teacher is not sure about a lot of things surrounding the topic.
Who May Benefit: This site will benefit students or educators interested in the topic. History and Government/Civics teachers can also utilize Dr. Ogletree’s work in learning more about the most present battles over reparations (i.e. The Tulsa Riot of 1922 victims . . . film entitled Before they Die)
Relevancy: Site gives a lot of information, including some replicas of primary resources, pertaining to many aspect of slavery (i.e. Trans-Atlantic slave trade, middle passage, emancipation, etc.)
Key Topics: Trans-Atlantic slave trade, middle passage, emancipation, etc.
Intended Use: I plan to utilize this site to enhance my content knowledge of the topic in order better mediate any conflicts that may occur between students when giving their opinions.
Who May Benefit: Anyone interested in learning more about the topic, educators and students alike, will most likely find this site to be extremely beneficial.
18) Picture Histories:Post-Civil War ‘Slavery’ Photo Gallery
Smithsonian. Various. 1975. Slavery, The American Experience, Washington, DC.
Relevancy: This site will be a GREAT resource in showing students how the outcome of Reconstruction/emergence of Jim Crow negatively affected African-Americans.
Key Topics: Civil War, Reconstruction, Penal System, Lynching (post-slavery)
Skills: Basic technological skills, ability to navigate a website, reading, writing
Intended Use: I plan to utilize this site during the lesson pertaining to the outcomes of Reconstruction in order for the students to see how the conditions of servitude changed after the end of slavery.
Who May Benefit: All student interested will benefit. American History students and/or World History students (if teaching slavery throughout the world) could benefit from this site.
Textbooks
19) The Americans: Reconstruction through the 20th Century.
America : The Twentieth Century. Evanston: McDougal Littell Incorporated, 2002.
Relevancy: Brief Intro: Colonization to Reconstruction (American Beginnings to 1877), 7 Units covering Reconstruction to 2000, Understanding Historical Readings, Using Critical Thinking; Print, Visual, and Technological Sources; Economics Handbook, Atlas, Presidents, English and Spanish Dictionary. Summarizes 'New World' happenings from pre-colonization to Reconstruction in Unit 1. This allows students to refresh their memory during the first week of their US History I course. The text also provides many visual and primary sources such as maps, graphs, charts, photos, artwork, and personal statements from individuals living during that time period. The Americans included important key terms in bold that allow students to easily find the 'most important' definitions within each section. Units, chapters, sections, individual headings, etc. are all color coded to catch the student's eye and the headings themselves are very helpful in writing notes.
Key Topics: Historical US History content in detail (1865-2000) and also included a brief history of US History (1607-1865)
Skills: Critical thinking, note-taking ability, reading, writing, etc.
Intended Use: I plan to use the text throughout the year for content purposes.
Who May Benefit: Students who prefer to use books or educators who lack some content knowledge will enjoy the way in which this text is set up.
20) American History: A Survey
Brinkley, Alan. American History Vol. 1 : A Survey. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2002.
Relevancy: Brinkley’s text covers, in detail, the events occurring between 1865 and 2001
Key Topics: Reconstruction, Conquest of the Far West, Industrialism, Urbanization, Crisis’ of the 1890s, Imperialism, Progressivism, WWI, Great Depression, New Deal, Global Crisis, WWII, Cold War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Age of Globalization
Intended Use: I actually plan to use this source as a personal way to increase my content knowledge of the content that I will teach in class. I may jigsaw some reading from the text in order for students to gain a more in-dept content knowledge of particular sections if I feel that Brinkley explains better than The Americans.
Who May Benefit: Teachers! American History teachers who are interested in expanding their content knowledge will most likely find this text helpful. World History teachers who will be teaching about WWI and WWII may also find reading Brinkley’s sections on the War’s helpful.
Table of Contents
Reconstruction (1877-1896)
[Contributed by Miss Tina L. Fletcher]Background
Honors US History II since Reconstruction
Unit #1: Reconstruction/Constitution (1607-1877)
Essential Question: What does it mean to be an American? How has the Constitution the definition into what it is today?
Length: 3 weeks
Grade: 11th grade Honors US History II
Student Population: 25
MA Framework: USII.1 – USII.4
Major Topics: Draft of the Constitution (1776); Civil War (1861-1865); Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863-Dec. 18, 1865); Lincoln Administration; Slavery (1607-1865); Reconstruction (1863-1877)
Resources
Books/Novels
1) Jubilee (497 pages)
2) When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (149 pages)
3) The Social Fabric: American Life from 1607-1877
4) 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South
5) History of the United States
6) A People’s History of the United States.
On-line Study Guides
7) Facing History and Ourselves
8) History Alive! Civil War and Reconstruction
Films
9) Amistad (152 minutes)10) Gettysburg (254 minutes)
11) Glory (122 minutes)
Websites
12) The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution13) Lincoln Douglas Presidential Debate(s)
14) Great African-American Studies Website
15) Reconstruction Site
16) Slave Reparations Info
17) Understanding Slavery
18) Picture Histories:Post-Civil War ‘Slavery’ Photo Gallery
Textbooks
19) The Americans: Reconstruction through the 20th Century.
20) American History: A Survey